There is also the $3/Month version, (so your savings could be huge $300 to $500 per year) but you need WiFi (or spend your time at McDonald or Starbucks or other places) to use it = (Skype). It comes with unlimited data :) !
–
Buscar웃Oct 1 '13 at 13:44

There are also the one-time costs of a GSM-compatible iPhone (e.g. used from eBay, either unlocked or locked to AT&T) and an AT&T GoPhone Micro SIM Card ($4). Setup involves installing and activating the SIM card.

If you need more than 50 MB data, there is the $40/month plan, which has 500 minutes and 200 MB data ($36/month after 10% off).

Per the rate plan terms, you could in theory buy the $60/month plan for one month, and use it to buy 1 GB data packages for $10 each, then switch back to the $25/month plan and keep the data from expiring using a $5 for 50 MB auto-refill. However, the $25/month rate plan has an undocumented data package cap of 150 MB; data above that is lost when you switch rate plans.

Did you find that you want to buy a factory unlocked iPhone or do you risk getting a locked one that AT&T (or worse some foreign carrier) might refuse to unlock?
–
bmike♦Jan 9 '13 at 17:32

2

@bmike: If you buy an iPhone locked to AT&T (which is the majority of phones available on eBay) and you intend to use AT&T GoPhone, there is no need to unlock. That said, AT&T is now very good about unlocking phones that are out of contract if the contract is paid up. You just need to call them up and ask.
–
Edward BreyJan 9 '13 at 17:38

I have gotten them to unlock phones when I'm on a full plan and the phone in question is more than 2 years old. I wanted someone to know these details. They won't budge on 2 years in my experience. I don't know if they'll unlock for prepaid and wondered if you had success as a prepaid customer.
–
bmike♦Jan 9 '13 at 19:17

2

@bmike: I have two phones that were locked to AT&T, each of which was purchased as part of a conventional plan by its former owner. For each, after I had set up the phone on GoPhone service, I called 611 and AT&T unlocked the phone.
–
Edward BreyJan 9 '13 at 19:24

b. CC offers national service on AT&T’s GSM system. GSM is also the international mobile standard, so phones should work in most of the world.

c. CC has no contracts, sends text & email alerts if usage approaches limits, and allows customers to change voice or data plans (up or down) at any time, including the current month, to save costs and avoid extra usage fees.

d. Because CC un-locks phones, we can buy a cheap GSM SIM card for local service—either (i) worldwide [e.g. TelnaMobile.com SIM for 198 countries] or (ii) separately in any country we visit. Many family and friends do so when crossing boarders in Europe.

e. Since we remove our CC SIM card outside the USA, we pay zero international roaming charges (typically $1 to $3 per minute otherwise). Incoming calls go to voice mail, which we check periodically when traveling, as we’ve done for years.

f. Voice plans are much cheaper at CC. For our typical usage while in USA, we pay less than half of what AT&T charged (on the same network!). When outside the USA, we pay only $10/phone for standby, instead of full price monthly. (But AT&T would not suspend, reduce, or change service plans, so we were previously stuck with the total contract cost!)

g. Flexible Data plans for modest usage start at $2.50/month, and can also be adjusted up or down any time. (Zero cost for no service when overseas, or just using WiFi.)

h. Instead of expensive cellular data, we use Wi Fi for Internet, email, photos, data files, etc. both at home and via free hotspots when traveling. Free or low cost Wi Fi is offered in numerous restaurants, hotels, tourist offices, public spaces, etc.

a.Telna says its SIM card will connect to cellular services in 197 countries of the world. Cost is $19/year plus usage at very low rates, especially cheap with a WiFi internet connection. This is far simpler and easier, and costs much less than renting phones, buying SIM cards, or paying hotel phone fees when traveling abroad. It does require some tech savvy to navigate the differences in phone systems from one country to another.

b. We also added Telna "dial around" long distance to our cellular phones for overseas calls (big savings--e.g., only 4 cents/minute to France land line).

c. Telna offers customers a worldwide calling card that can be used to dial from any phone anywhere (rates are inexpensive, but vary due to charges by local providers at point of origin for calls).

Finally, we're happy customers, and don't have any other affiliation with either company.

I bought the Virgin iPhone 4S for this. I'm 90% happy with it—my only reservation is that even though I often have full bars with the 3G indicator, data can in some areas be nearly or completely nonfunctional.
–
ziggMar 26 '13 at 13:55